Prostate cancer research has been greatly hindered by the paucity of new investigators entering into the field. In recognition of the need to help establish independently funded investigators in the field of translational prostate cancer research, the UM Prostate SPORE has supported two to three junior faculty per year. The focus of the Career Development Program (CDP) is to provide investigators the resources to generate preliminary data for subsequent NIH ROI grant applications. The UM Prostate SPORE commits $70,000 annually per investigator. Career Development awardees are funded for a maximum of two years, subject to annual review. The awardees' departments supply another $10,000 per year in matching funds. Investigators, many of whom are outside the field of prostate cancer, meet quarterly with Drs. Cooney and Robins who act as clinical resource and basic science mentors, respectively. A former CDP investigator. Dr. Cooney is a medical oncologist with appointments in internal medicine and urology. Dr. Cooney is the